U.S. patent application number 09/916866 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-03 for automatic software installation on heterogeneous networked computer systems.
Invention is credited to Davis, Michael L., McCollum, Raymond W..
Application Number | 20020002704 09/916866 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23595058 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020002704 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Davis, Michael L. ; et
al. |
January 3, 2002 |
Automatic software installation on heterogeneous networked computer
systems
Abstract
The present invention provides for automatically installing
software on heterogeneous computer systems. In a distributed system
having heterogeneous computer systems having dissimilar hardware or
software components or dissimilar configuration information, such
as different natural languages, different operating system types,
different network operating system types, and different processor
types, the present invention automatically installs the appropriate
edition of software on computers. The present invention installs an
edition of software appropriate for use with a specific operating
system type, appropriate for execution on a particular processor
type and in a particular natural language by utilizing commands
specific to an operating system and network operating system type.
The present invention automatically installs software in response
to user input, the addition of a new computer to the distributed
system, or upon the availability of a new version of the
software.
Inventors: |
Davis, Michael L.;
(Bellevue, WA) ; McCollum, Raymond W.; (Seattle,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Workman Nydegger & Seeley
1000 Eagle Gate Tower
60 E. South Temple
Salt Lake City
UT
84111
US
|
Family ID: |
23595058 |
Appl. No.: |
09/916866 |
Filed: |
July 27, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09916866 |
Jul 27, 2001 |
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09397480 |
Sep 16, 1999 |
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6282712 |
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09397480 |
Sep 16, 1999 |
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08403244 |
Mar 10, 1995 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
717/170 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 8/61 20130101; G06F
8/60 20130101; G06F 8/64 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
717/11 |
International
Class: |
G06F 009/455 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A data processing system having software for installation,
comprising: a first computer configured to receive the software,
the first computer being newly added to the data processing system;
and a second computer configured to automatically determine when
the first computer is added to the data processing system, the
second computer being configured to control the installation of the
software onto the first computer when it is determined to install
the software onto the first computer and is heterogeneous with
respect to the first computer.
2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the software is a
version of a program, and wherein the second computer includes a
detection component for detecting when the version of the program
is outdated and for installing a new version of the program onto
the first computer.
3. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the second
computer includes a detection component for detecting when a third
computer is added to the data processing system and for
automatically installing the software onto the third computer in
response to the addition of the third computer.
4. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the first
computer has an associated first natural language and wherein the
'second computer has an associated natural language.
5. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the first
computer executes an operating system of a first type and wherein
the second computer executes an operating system of a second
type.
6. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the first
computer has a processor of a first type and wherein the second
computer has a processor of a second type.
7. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein the first
computer executes a network operating system of a first type and
wherein the second computer executes a network operating system of
a second type.
8. An automatic software installation system, comprising: a first
computer having an associated natural language and a processor
running an operating system, the first computer being newly added
to the data processing system; and a second computer, heterogeneous
with respect to the first computer, having a first component
configured to store editions of software, a second component
configured to automatically determine the natural language
associated with the first computer, the operating system running on
the first computer and the type of processor in the first computer
and a third component configured to control installation of one
edition of the software onto the first computer that is particular
to the type of processor in the first computer, the operating
system running on the first computer and the natural language
associated with the first computer, wherein the second computer
installs the edition of the software by utilizing commands that are
suitable for the operating system running on the first
computer.
9. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
8, wherein the second computer is configured to start the
software.
10. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
8, wherein the first computer is associated with a first site and
the second computer is associated with a second site.
11. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
10, wherein the second computer manages the second site.
12. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
8, wherein the second computer comprises a helper server, the
helper server being configured to install the software on the first
computer.
13. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
8, wherein the second computer comprises a detection component
configured to detect the first computer.
14. An automatic software installation system comprising: a first
computer configured to receive one or more application programs,
the first computer forming part of a first site comprising a
plurality of computers connected together by a first area network;
a second computer associated with a second site comprising a
plurality of computers connected together by a second area network,
the second computer being configured to store the one or more
application programs and manage the delivery of the one or more
software to the first computer by automatically determining when
the first computer is added to the data processing system and
controlling the installation of the software onto the first
computer when it is determined by the second computer to install
the software onto the first computer.
15. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
14, wherein the second computer is configured to start the
software.
16. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
14, wherein the second computer comprises a helper server, the
helper server being configured to install the software on the first
computer.
17. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
14, wherein the second computer comprises a detection component
configured to detect the first computer.
18. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
14, wherein the first computer has an associated first natural
language and wherein the second computer has an associated natural
language.
19. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
14, wherein the first computer executes an operating system of a
first type and wherein the second computer executes an operating
system of a second type
20. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
14, wherein the first computer has a processor of a first type and
wherein the second computer has a processor of a second type.
21. The automatic software installation system as recited in claim
14, wherein the first computer executes a network operating system
of a first type and wherein the second computer executes a network
operating system of a second type.
22. In a data processing system having software for installation a
method for installing software onto a computer, the method
comprising the acts of: automatically determining when a first
computer is added to the data processing system, the first computer
comprising a natural language and a processor running an operating
system; identifying a stored edition of software, at a second
computer, that is particular to the natural language, the
processor, and the functioning operating system of the first
computer; identifying stored preferences controlling installing the
stored edition of the software onto the first computer; and
automatically installing only the edition of the software onto the
first computer, directly from the second computer, utilizing
commands that are suitable for the functioning operating system
running on the first computer and based upon the stored
preferences.
23. A method as recited in claim 22, further comprising,
automatically starting, by the second computer, the installed
edition of the software on the first computer.
24. A method as recited in claim 22, further comprising delivering
the edition of the software to a third computer, the third computer
installing only the edition of the software onto the first computer
directly from the third computer utilizing commands that are
suitable for the operating system running on the first computer and
based upon the stored preferences.
25. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein determining when the
first computer is added to the data processing system occurs
periodically.
26. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein determining when the
first computer is added to the data processing system occurs in
accordance with a predetermined amount of time set by an
administrator of the data processing system.
27. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein determining when the
first computer is added to the data processing system occurs in
accordance with an instruction of an administrator.
28. In a data processing system having software for installation a
method for installing software onto a first computer, the method
comprising: a step for determining, remote from the first computer,
when the first computer is added to the data processing system, the
first computer comprising a natural language and a processor
running a functioning operating system; a step for receiving at the
first computer an edition of software that is particular to the
natural language, the processor, and the operating system of the
first computer; a step for automatically installing onto the first
computer only the edition of the software, under the control of a
second computer, utilizing commands that are suitable for the
operating system running on the first computer.
29. A computer program product for implementing, in an automatic
software installation system, a method for installing software onto
a first computer, the computer program product comprising: a
computer readable medium carrying computer executable instructions
for implementing the method, the computer executable instructions,
when executed, performing the acts of: automatically determining
when a first computer is added to the data processing system, the
first computer comprising a natural language and a processor
running an operating system; identifying a stored edition of
software, at a second computer, that is particular to the natural
language, the processor, and the operating system of the first
computer identifying stored preferences controlling installing the
stored edition of the software onto the first computer; and
automatically installing only the edition of the software onto the
first computer directly from the second computer utilizing commands
that are suitable for the operating system running on the first
computer and based upon the stored preferences.
30. A computer program product as defined in claim 29, wherein the
computer readable medium further carries computer executable
instructions for performing the act of automatically starting, by
the second computer, the installed edition of the software on the
first computer.
31. A computer program product as defined in claim 29, wherein the
computer readable medium further carries computer executable
instructions for performing the act of delivering the edition of
the software to a third computer, the third computer installing
only the edition of the software onto the first computer directly
from the third computer utilizing commands that are suitable for
the operating system running on the first computer and based upon
the stored preferences.
32. A computer program product as defined in claim 29, wherein the
computer readable medium further carries computer executable
instructions for performing the act of periodically determining
when the first computer is added to the data processing system.
33. A computer program product as defined in claim 29, wherein the
computer readable medium further carries computer executable
instructions for performing the act of determining when the first
computer is added to the data processing system in accordance with
a predetermined time set by an administrator of the data processing
system.
34. A computer program product as defined in claim 29, wherein the
computer readable medium further carries computer executable
instructions for performing the act of determining when the first
computer is added to the data processing system in accordance with
an instruction of an administrator.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation patent application
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/397,480 entitled "Automatic
Software Installation on Heterogeneous Networked Computer Systems,"
filed Sep. 16, 1999, which is a continuation patent application of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/403,244, entitled "Automatic
Software Installation on Heterogeneous Networked Computer Systems,"
filed Mar. 10, 1995, the disclosures of which are incorporated by
their entirety herein by this reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. The Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to data processing
systems and, more particularly, to the automatic installation of
software on heterogeneous computer systems.
[0004] 2. The Relevant Technology
[0005] Typically, large, multinational corporations have a
distributed system containing many computers spread across a wide
geographical area that are networked together. This type of
environment makes it difficult and costly to manage the computers
in terms of providing software installation, support and
maintenance. That is, an administrator of the distributed system
has to visit each computer in order to manage the computers. Thus,
a significant cost of managing the computers in this type of
environment stems from software installation, support, and
maintenance. In fact, the initial purchase price of software may be
only a small portion of the total cost associated with managing the
computers.
[0006] The distributed Systems of large corporations usually
comprise computers that have dissimilar hardware and software
components. The lack of uniformity in components is the product of
different organizations within the corporation having different
needs for their computers. For instance, one organization may
consist primarily of clerical workers, who utilize various programs
such as word processing programs or spreadsheet programs, that do
not require significant processing power, whereas another
organization in the corporation that performs engineering research
utilize more computationally intensive programs that require
significantly more processing power. Therefore, a large corporation
usually has computers with different types of processors.
[0007] With respect to different software components, the
distributed systems of large corporations usually contain groups of
computers that are interconnected via a local area network (LAN).
Each group of computers typically represents an organization within
the corporation. Each group of computers contains one or more
server computers that runs a network operating system. A "network
operating system" provides network services to other computers
("client computers") on the LAN, such as remote file access as well
as remote printing capabilities. In many instances, different
groups may have servers running different network operating
systems.
[0008] The client computers within a group of computers are
typically used by end users. End users often have preferences
regarding what operating system runs on their computer. Therefore,
in a distributed system of a large corporation having many end
users, there are usually a number of computers with different
operating systems.
[0009] Just as end users have a preference for a particular
operating system, end users typically have a preference for a
natural language in which communications between the end user and
the computer are to take place. In a distributed system of a large,
multinational corporation, it is common to have computers that
employ different natural languages for communications with end
users.
[0010] Systems have been developed that, upon user initiation,
install software from a master computer to a slave computer, where
both the master and the slave are homogeneous with respect to each
other in that they have similar hardware and software components.
However, these systems typically do not operate within a
distributed system of computers that have dissimilar hardware and
software components, such as is commonly found with large
corporations. Therefore, although systems have been developed to
facilitate the installation of software on homogenous computers,
these Systems do not Suit the needs of a large corporation. Thus,
large corporations and other organizations having a distributed
system of heterogeneous computers are in need of a mechanism to
facilitate the installation of software within their distributed
system.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The system described herein provides for automatically
installing software on heterogeneous networked computer systems. In
a distributed system having heterogeneous computer systems of
different natural languages, different operating system types,
different network operating system types, or different processor
types, the system described herein automatically installs the
appropriate edition of software on computers. The system described
herein installs an edition of software appropriate for execution on
a particular processor type, suitable for use with a particular
operating system and in a particular natural language by the system
utilizing commands specific to an operating system and network
operating system type. The system described herein automatically
installs software in response to user input, the addition of a new
computer to the distributed system, or upon the availability of a
new version of the software.
[0012] In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention,
a method is provided for automatically installing software in a
distributed system having a first computer and a second computer.
The first computer includes an installation component and the
second computer is heterogeneous with respect to the first
computer. The installation component automatically determines when
to install the software on the second computer and when it is
determined to install the software, the installation component
installs the software on the second computer.
[0013] A second aspect of the present invention discloses an
automatic software installation system. The automatic software
installation system has a first computer and a second computer. The
first computer has an associated natural language and a processor
running an operating system. The second computer has a first
component for storing editions of software, a second component for
determining the natural language of the first computer, the
operating system of the first computer and the processor of the
first computer, and a third component for installing an edition of
the software onto the first computer that is suitable for execution
on the processor of the first computer and that utilizes the
natural language of the first computer, wherein the second computer
installs the edition of the software by utilizing commands that are
suitable for the operating system of the first computer.
[0014] These and other objects and features of the present
invention will become more fully apparent from the following
description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice
of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] To further clarify the above and other advantages and
features of the present invention, a more particular description of
the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments
thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is
appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of
the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of
its scope. The invention will be described and explained with
additional specificity and detail through the use of the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 depicts a distributed system suitable for practicing
a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 depicts a more detailed diagram of the central site
of FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 3A depicts a more detailed block diagram of a site
server of FIG. 2.
[0019] FIG. 3B depicts a more detailed block diagram of a client
server of FIG. 2.
[0020] FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of the steps performed by the
preferred embodiment of the present invention when moving or
copying a service to a helper server.
[0021] FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of the steps performed by the
preferred embodiment of the present invention when a new or revised
version of a service on a client server becomes available.
[0022] FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of the steps performed by the
preferred embodiment of the present invention when monitoring
client servers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] A preferred embodiment of the present invention
automatically installs software in a heterogeneous environment. A
"heterogeneous environment" refers to a grouping of computers
usually connected via a network, where some of the computers have
dissimilar hardware or software components or dissimilar
configuration information, including different types of operating
systems, different types of network operating systems, different
natural languages, or different types of processors. By
automatically installing software in a heterogeneous environment,
the preferred embodiment facilitates the maintenance of computers
in a heterogeneous environment and reduces the cost associated
therewith. Two computers are said to be "heterogeneous" with
respect to each other if they have dissimilar hardware or software
components or dissimilar configuration information. For example,
two computers are considered heterogeneous if they access network
services through different network operating systems or if they
have different operating systems, natural languages or
processors.
[0024] The preferred embodiment of the present invention operates
within the context of a centralized management system for
distributed systems, such as the Systems Management Server
available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington,
although one skilled in the art will appreciate that other
embodiments of the present invention can operate in other types of
systems. The centralized management system provides hardware and
software inventory support, software distribution and installation,
software updates, and remote diagnostics. In providing hardware and
software inventory support, the centralized management system
provides a listing of the hardware and software components on the
computers in the distributed system. In providing software
distribution and installation, the centralized management system
centralizes the distribution and installation of application
programs on file servers or clients of the file servers. The
software update functionality performed by the centralized
management system installs new software versions when the current
version of the software becomes outdated. The installation of the
new version of software is performed on each computer that needs
the new version. A "version" of software refers to the release of
the software, which is typically indicated by a number, such as
1.0. In providing the remote diagnostics functionality, the
centralized management system allows an administrator of the
distributed system to take control of the input devices and the
display of a remote computer so as to be able to diagnose problems
with the computer.
[0025] As previously stated, the preferred embodiment operates in a
heterogeneous environment. The computers that operate in this type
of environment can have different natural languages, network
operating systems, operating systems, or processors. With respect
to natural languages, for purposes of explaining the preferred
embodiment, an illustrative case is described below using English
and German, although the present invention can be used with other
natural languages. As to the different network operating systems,
the preferred embodiment supports the "MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT"
network operating system available from Microsoft Corporation of
Redmond, Washington, the "LAN MANAGER" network operating system
also available from Microsoft Corporation and the "LAN SERVER"
network operating system available from the International Business
Machines Corporation of Armonk, New York. The operating systems
supported by the preferred embodiment include "MICROSOFT WINDOWS
NT," Microsoft Operating System 2 available from Microsoft
Corporation and IBM "OS/2" available from the IBM Corporation.
"MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT" operates as both a network operating system
by providing access to remote resources such as printers and files,
as well as a local operating system by providing access to local
resources. The processors supported by the preferred embodiment
include the X86 family of processors available from the Intel
Corporation of Cupertino, California, the MIPS R4000 family of
processors available from MIPS Technologies of Mountain View,
Calif. and the Alpha family of processors available from the
Digital Equipment Corporation of Maynard, Mass. The various
combinations of network operating systems, operating systems and
processors supported by the preferred embodiment are depicted below
in Table 1.
1TABLE 1 Network Windows NT LAN Manager LAN Server Operating System
Operating System Windows NT MS OS/2 IBM OS/2 Processor Intel X86
Intel X86 Intel X86 DEC Alpha MIPS R4000
[0026] As can be seen from the above table, the preferred
embodiment supports a computer running "MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT" on
the X86, Alpha or MIPS families of processors. Also, the preferred
embodiment supports a computer running "LAN MANAGER" and MS OS/2 on
the Intel X86 family of processors and a computer running "LAN
SERVER" and IBM OS/2 on the Intel X86 family of processors. One
skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can
be used with other network operating systems, operating systems and
processors or additional combinations thereof.
[0027] The centralized management system in which the preferred
embodiment operates is used to control a distributed system having
many sites, where each site has a local area network connecting a
number of computers. One of these sites acts as the central site
for managing all of the other Sites. The other Sites consist of
primary sites and secondary sites and may be ordered hierarchically
with the primary sites being responsible for managing the secondary
sites. A block diagram of the distributed system in which the
preferred embodiment operates is depicted in FIG. 1. The
distributed system 100 contains a central site 102, two primary
sites 104, 106 and two secondary sites 108, 110 with each site
connected to communication mechanism 112, such as a wide area
network. The central site 102 manages all other sites and therefore
stores system-wide information. The primary sites 104, 106
typically manage one or more secondary sites 108, 10. For example,
the primary site 104 may manage secondary site 108 and the primary
site 106 may manage secondary site 110. As stated previously, the
sites are arranged hierarchically with the central site at the top
of the hierarchy managing all other sites and the primary sites are
next in the hierarchy managing the secondary sites.
[0028] A more detailed block diagram of the central site of FIG. 1
is depicted in FIG. 2. The central site 102 is connected to one or
more primary sites via the communication mechanism 112. The central
site 200 contains a site server 202, an SQL server 206, a helper
server 208, and a domain 204. The site server 202 of the central
site 102 acts as the centralized management system for the central
site and all other sites. An administrator's console 210 is
connected to the site server 202 so that the administrator can
centrally manage the distributed system. In addition, the site
server 202 stores software that can be installed on other computers
in the distributed system. The SQL server 206 manages a database
that contains various inventory information and status information
regarding the distributed system. The helper server 208 is used to
offload some of the burden of managing the distributed system from
the site server 202. The domain 204 is a grouping of computers and
contains two client servers 212 and 216, which are connected to
client computers 214, 218, and 220. The client servers 212 and 216
act as file servers for the client computers 214, 218, and 220,
which are, in turn, used by end users. Although the central site
has been described as having various components, one skilled in the
art will appreciate that the central site can contain additional or
different components such as additional helper servers, additional
domains, additional client servers within a domain, and additional
clients for each client server.
[0029] Primary and secondary Sites are configured like the central
site except that the secondary sites do not contain SQL servers.
Therefore, both primary sites and secondary sites usually contain a
site server, one or more helper servers, as well as one or more
domains and the primary sites additionally contain an SQL server.
Each domain may contain one or more client servers connected to one
or more clients. The site server for a primary site is used for
managing the primary site in which it is located as well as all
secondary sites that are lower in the hierarchy. However, the site
server of the central site acts as the centralized management
mechanism of the entire distributed system, thereby managing all
sites.
[0030] FIG. 3A depicts a more detailed block diagram of the site
server 202 of FIG. 2. The site server 202 contains a central
processing unit (CPU) 302, a memory 304, a secondary storage device
306, such as a hard disk, and an input device 308, such as a
keyboard. Although the site server 202 is described with respect to
having specific components, one skilled in the art will appreciate
that the site server may have additional or different components.
For example, the site server 202 can utilize a CPU such as an X86,
MIPS, or Alpha CPU. The memory 304 contains a copy of "MICROSOFT
WINDOWS NT" 310, a number of services 312, 314, 318, 320, 322 that
provide the functionality of the centralized management system, and
a site configuration manager 316 that performs the functionality of
the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as will be
further described below. Additionally, the site configuration
manager performs processing associated with client computers as
described in copending U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,829 entitled "Automatic
Software Installation on Heterogeneous Networked Client Computer
Systems," which is hereby incorporated by reference. "MICROSOFT
WINDOWS NT" 310 acts as both a network operating system and a local
operating system to the site server. A "service" is a computer
program that typically runs as a background task and performs a
system function, such as a function related to the centralized
management system described herein. The services that provide the
functionality of the centralized management system include the
scheduler 312, the despooler 314, the inventory processor 318, the
inventory data loader 320, and the sender services 322. The
scheduler 312 is responsible for scheduling jobs such as software
updates to occur across the distributed system and when the time
has arrived for the job to be performed, the despooler 314 is
responsible for performing the job by distributing the software to
one or more computers within the site. The inventory processor 318
is responsible for receiving inventory information from the
computers within a domain and passing the data to the inventory
data loader 320. The inventory data loader 320 is responsible for
receiving the data, correlating the data, and storing the data into
a database on the SQL server. The sender services 322 are
responsible for performing Site-to-site communications. The sender
services, therefore, provide communication over various connections
such as ISDN or X.25. It should be noted that only one instance of
the scheduler 312, the despooler 314, the inventory processor 318,
and the inventory data loader 320 are present within the site at
any given time. However, more than one sender services 322 may be
present within a site since the site may, in turn, be connected to
other sites.
[0031] The secondary storage 306 contains a system map file 324 and
a software directory structure 326. The system map file 324 lists
the software that is stored on the site server 202 and the
directories in which the software is stored. In addition, the
system map file 324 indicates the specific edition of the software.
An "edition" of software refers to a copy of the software that
operates using a particular natural language and that is suitable
for execution with a particular type of operating system on a
particular type of processor. For example, an application program
may have two editions, a first edition in German for use with OS/2
on an x86 processor and a second edition in English for use with
"MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT" on an Alpha processor. More than one edition
of the software is typically stored on the site server according to
the natural language in which it is to operate, the operating
system with which it is to operate and the platform (or processor)
on which it is to execute. The various editions of the software are
stored in the software directory structure 326. The software
directory structure 326 is created upon installation of the
centralized management system. When installing the centralized
management system, a compact disk is inserted into the site server
and as part of the installation process, the software directory
structure 326 is created and the software contained on the compact
disk is copied therein. The software directory structure 326 has a
main directory "site.srv" with various directories of the main
directory that each contain portions of an edition of the software
that are natural language independent. That is, software usually
comprises a number of flies ("portions"), some of which are natural
language independent and others are natural language dependent. The
natural language independent portions are stored in the directories
and the natural language dependent portions are stored in
subdirectories within the directories. An example of a service
stored in the software directory structure 226 is depicted below in
Table 2.
2 TABLE 2 ...backslash.site.srv .backslash.x86.bin servos2.exe
servnt. exe serv. dll .backslash.00000409 servlang.dll
.backslash.00000407 servlang.dll .backslash.mips.bin servnt.exe
serv.dll .backslash.00000409 servlang.dll .backslash.00000407
servlang.dll .backslash.alpha.bin servnt.exe serv.dll
.backslash.00000409 servlang.dll .backslash.00000407
servlang.dll
[0032] As can be seen from Table 2, the main directory site.srv has
three directories .backslash.x86, .backslash.mips, and
.backslash.alpha. Each directory contains software that is specific
to a particular type of processor and within each directory are
editions of the software for a particular operating system, such as
"servos2.exe" for use with "OS/2" and "servnt.exe" for use with
"MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT." Each directory then, in turn, has a
subdirectory 00000409 and a subdirectory 00000407. Each of these
numbers indicates a specific language code that refers to a natural
language. For example, the number 00000407 indicates the German
language and the number 00000409 indicates the English language.
These subdirectories contain one or more portions of the edition of
the software that are language dependent. Therefore, within the
.backslash.x86 directory, servos2.exe, servnt.exe and serv.dll are
language independent portions of the software that are suitable for
execution on the X86 family of processors, with servos2.exe
suitable for use with "OS/2" and servnt.exe suitable for use with
"MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT." Further, subdirectories 00000409 and
00000407 of the .backslash.x86 directory contain the language
dependent portions of the software that are suitable for execution
on the X86 family of processors. Although the software for one
service has been depicted, all of the other software that is
available from the site server is stored in this manner. For
example, with respect to an additional service, the .backslash.x86
directory would contain the language independent portions of the
additional service that run on the X86 family of computers (with
one edition for each operating system supported), and the
subdirectories 00000409 and 00000407 would contain the language
dependent portions of the additional service.
[0033] The configuration of the helper server is similar to that of
the site server. That is, the helper server has similar hardware
and software components to that of the site server, although one
skilled in the art will appreciate that the helper server can have
additional or different hardware or software components. However,
the services used by the centralized management system do not
typically run on the helper server unless they are specifically
moved on to the helper server as is discussed below.
[0034] FIG. 3B depicts a more detailed block diagram of the client
server 216 of FIG. 2. Although client server 216 is depicted, the
other client server 212 is similarly configured. The client server
216 has an 80386 processor, a memory 334, a secondary storage
device 336, and an input device 338, such as a keyboard. The memory
334 contains a network operating system such as "LAN MANAGER" 344
and an operating system such as IBM "OS/2" 346. It should be
appreciated that the client server 216 can operate other
combinations of network operating systems and operating systems. In
addition, the memory 334 contains services that help provide the
functionality of the centralized management system including the
package command manager 340 and the inventory agent 342. The
package command manager 340 provides the functionality of
automatically installing application programs onto the client
server 216. The inventory agent 342 provides the functionality of
retrieving the hardware and software inventory of the client server
216 and sending this inventory information to the site server
wherein the information is utilized by the inventory processor of
the site server. The secondary storage device 336 contains a
software directory structure 350 that stores the software that is
associated with the centralized management system and that is
currently installed on the client server 216. The layout of the
software directory structure 350 is similar to that of the software
directory structure described relative to the site server. One
skilled in the art will appreciate that the client server may have
additional or different components, such as a MIPS processor, an
Alpha processor or a processor from the X86 family of
processors.
[0035] As previously stated, the preferred embodiment of the
present invention provides for the automatic installation of
software on a heterogeneous computer. The preferred embodiment of
the present invention performs this functionality within the
context of the centralized management system described above.
However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the techniques
used by the preferred embodiment of the present invention for
automatically installing software can be utilized within other
environments. The preferred embodiment of the present invention can
be used to copy or move the services of the centralized management
system located on the site server to a helper server in order to
offload some of the processing of the site server. In addition, the
preferred embodiment of the present invention monitors and
automatically installs the services of the centralized management
system on client servers.
[0036] FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of the steps performed by the
preferred embodiment of the present invention when copying or
moving services from the site server to a helper server. As
previously stated, the administrator of the distributed system may
determine to move a service or copy a service from the site server
to a helper server in order to increase the performance of the site
server. Also, once a service is on a helper server, the
administrator may choose to move the service to a different helper
server. In the preferred embodiment, the steps described below are
performed by the site configuration manager. The first step
performed by the site configuration manager is to receive data that
indicates which service is to be moved or copied and the
destination helper server (step 402). In this step, the
administrator inputs the data into the administrator's console,
which then sends the data to the site server. At the site server,
the data is deposited into the database of the SQL server, wherein
a change in the database is noticed by the system and the data is
then sent to the site configuration manager for processing. The
data received by the site configuration manager does not provide an
indication of where the service is currently located. Therefore,
the location of the service has to be determined in a later step.
In other words, the service could be currently running on another
helper server and an administrator may have decided to move the
service from one helper server to another.
[0037] After receiving the data, the site configuration manager
determines whether the requested action to be performed on the
service is a move (step 404). If the service to be acted upon is
the scheduler, the despooler, the inventory processor, or the
inventory data loader, then it is assumed that a move is to occur
since only one instance of these services can be running in the
site at any given time. However, if the service to be acted upon is
the sender services, it is assumed that the service is to be copied
since more than one sender services can be running in the site at
any given time. If it is determined that a move is to occur, the
site configuration manager determines the location of the service,
stops the service, and deinstalls the service (step 406) so that
the service can be moved. In this step the site configuration
manager determines the server ("source server") on which the
service is currently located and the type of network operating
system running on the source server by querying the NT
registry.
[0038] The NT registry is a central repository in "MICROSOFT
WINDOWS NT" for all information about the computer hardware, the
computer software, and the users of the distributed system. The NT
registry consists of a number of files, where each file corresponds
to a discrete unit of registry information. Data in the registry is
structured as a hierarchically structured tree, with each node of
the tree referred to as a key. Each key can contain both subkeys
and data. When accessing the data of a key, in some instances, the
key can be referred to directly to access the data and, in other
instances, a key must be opened before accessing the data
associated with the key. When opening a key, the handle of another
key must be supplied in the registry that is already open. The NT
registry provides four standard handles that are always open and,
thus, act as entry points to the registry. The first standard
handle is HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT which provides information relating to
classes of documents and properties associated therewith. The
HKEY_CURRENT_USER standard handle contains environment variables
that contain preferences of the user relating to the system
environment such as the natural language. The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
standard handle contains configuration information of the system,
including information about the bus type, system memory, operating
system, processor, natural language and installed software. The
HKEY_USERS standard handle contains configuration information of
the local computer and user configuration information for the
current user. The NT registry on the site server is used by the
centralized management system to hold configuration information
that indicates where a service is installed and a query to the NT
registry can determine the source server and the type of network
operating system that is running on the source server. Both of
these queries are performed by the site configuration manager in
this step.
[0039] After determining the type of the network operating system
run on the source server, the site configuration manager stops the
service and deinstalls the service using commands specific to the
network operating system. If the server is running "MICROSOFT
WINDOWS NT," the site configuration manager invokes the service
control manager with various calls to perform this functionality.
The service control manager maintains a database of installed
services and status information pertaining to each service. Thus,
the service control manager can control services on a particular
computer. In addition, the service control manager automatically
starts some services at operating system startup time. In utilizing
the service control manager to stop and deinstall the service, the
site configuration manager invokes the OpenSCManager call to gain
access to the service control manager, the OpenService call to
receive a handle to the service, the ControlService call to stop
the service, the DeleteService call to deinstall the service and
the CloseServiceHandle to close the service control manager. If the
server is running either the "LAN MANAGER" or the "LAN SERVER"
network operating system, the site configuration manager issues a
NetServiceControl command, which provides access to the service on
the source server to stop the service and then deinstalls the
service. In deinstalling the service, the site configuration
manager edits the "lanman.ini" file that is located on the source
server to delete the entry referring to the service name and its
location if the server is running the "LAN MANAGER" network
operating system. The lanman.ini file contains various
configuration information, such as a list of services that are
currently installed. If the server is running the "LAN SERVER"
network operating system, the site configuration manager edits the
"lanman.ini" file that is located on the source server to delete
the entry referring to the service name and its location. The
ibmlan.ini file serves a similar purpose to that of the lanman.ini
file.
[0040] If it is determined that a copy is to occur or after
deinstalling the service, the site configuration manager determines
the natural language, the type of the operating system and the type
of the processor of the destination helper server (step 408). To
determine the natural language utilized by the destination helper
server, the site configuration manager queries the NT registry of
the source server. The NT registry contains a key that indicates
the natural language. This key is located at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.backslash.System.backslash.CurrentContro-
lSet.backslash.Control.backslash.NLS.backslash.Language.backslash.Default.
The NT registry calls used to gain access to this key include
RegConnectRegistry to establish a connection to a standard key on
another computer, RegOpenKeyEx to open the key, RegQueryValueEx to
retrieve the data of the key and RegCloseKey to close the key. The
site configuration manager determines the type of the operating
system running on the destination helper server by invoking the
NetServerGetInfo "MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT" call, which returns
information about a remote computer and therefore can return an
indication of whether the destination helper server is running
either "OS/2" or "MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT." In order to determine the
type of processor of the destination helper server, the site
configuration manager utilizes a CPU identifier that is found in a
key of the NT registry at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.backslash.Hardware.backslash-
.Description.backslash.System.backslash.CentralProcessor.backslash.0.backs-
lash.Identifier. In order to gain access to the CPU identifier, the
site configuration manager invokes the following calls:
RegConnectRegistry, RegOpenKeyEx, RegQueryValueEx, and RegCloseKey.
After receiving the CPU identifier from the NT registry, the site
configuration manager accesses tables contained within the system
map file to map the CPU identifier to one of the supported
processor types.
[0041] After determining the natural language, the operating system
and the processor of the destination helper server, the site
configuration manager determines if there is an edition of the
service matching this natural language, operating system type and
processor type (step 410). This step is performed by checking the
system map file which, as previously stated, contains a list of all
of the software that is available on the site server and the
editions of the software that are available in terms of the
processor on which the software can execute, the operating system
with which the software can execute and the natural language in
which it can operate. If it is determined that there is not an
edition of the service matching the natural language, the operating
system and the processor of the destination helper server, the site
configuration manager will post an event to an event log (step
418), and processing ends. The event log is maintained by the site
server and is accessible by the administrator. Thus, when an event
is posted in the event log, the administrator is notified.
[0042] If there is a matching service, the site configuration
manager creates the directory structure on the helper server and
copies the files to the destination helper server (step 412). In
this step, the site configuration manager creates a directory
structure similar to that as described with reference to the site
server except that the main directory is named "helper.srv."
Therefore, for example, if an edition of the scheduler were moved
to the destination helper server that was suitable for use with
"OS/2" and suitable for execution on the X86 family of processors,
a directory of .backslash.x86bin would be created and if the
natural language were German, a subdirectory within the x86.bin
directory would be created and named 00000407. Further, in copying
the edition of the scheduler for the X86 family of processors, the
language independent portions of the edition of the scheduler that
are appropriate for use with "OS/2" would be copied into the
x86.bin directory and the language dependent portions of the
edition of the software would be copied to the German subdirectory.
After creating the directory structure and copying the files, the
site configuration manager installs the service on the destination
helper server (step 414). If the destination helper server is
running the "MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT" network operating system, the
site configuration manager invokes the following calls to the
service control manager to install the service: OpenSCManager to
gain access to the service control manager, CreateService to add
the service to the database of installed services, and
CloseServiceHandle to close the service control manager. If the
destination helper server is running the "LAN MANAGER" network
operating system, the site configuration manager edits the
lanman.ini file and adds an entry under the services section of the
file in the form "service name=path-to-exe." If the destination
helper server is running the "LAN SERVER" network operating system,
the site configuration manager adds an entry into the services
section of the ibmlan.ini file of the same form. After installing
the service, the site configuration manager starts the service
(step 416). In this step, the site configuration manager launches
the service to run as a background task on the destination helper
server. If the destination helper server is running the "MICROSOFT
WINDOWS NT" network operating system, the site configuration
manager invokes the following calls to the service control manager:
OpenSCManager, OpenService, StartService to launch the service and
CloseServiceHandle. If the destination helper server is running
either the "LAN MANAGER" or the "LAN SERVER" network operating
system, the site configuration manager invokes the
NetServiceInstall command to launch the service.
[0043] With respect to the services running on the client server,
the preferred embodiment of the present invention provides
functionality that performs software upgrades to services that are
installed, as well as provides functionality that monitors the
services. The monitoring performed by the preferred embodiment of
the present invention detects if a service stops running and will
restart the service if necessary. In addition, the monitoring
performed by the preferred embodiment detects a new client server
that has been added to the distributed system and automatically
installs the appropriate services onto the new client server. The
services that are installed on the new client server are installed
according to the preferences of the administrator. That is, the
administrator has given preferences as to which services should be
installed on the client servers of a particular domain, and the
preferred embodiment of the present invention installs the services
according to the preferences of the administrator. Therefore, the
administrator can choose to have either the package command manager
or the inventory agent installed or both.
[0044] FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of the steps performed by the
preferred embodiment of the present invention when performing a
service upgrade. This processing is invoked when a new version of a
service is available or when a revised version of a service is
available, which typically occurs when a bug fix occurs. In the
preferred embodiment, the steps described below are performed by
the site configuration manager. The first step performed by the
site configuration manager in upgrading a service on the client
servers is to determine the client servers which need updating
(step 502). In this step, the site configuration manager has stored
locally a list of all client servers within a particular domain, as
well as a list of each service that is installed on each client
server. The list of client servers is stored as part of the
processing associated with step 602 of FIG. 6, where the site
configuration manager invokes the NetServerEnum call of "MICROSOFT
WINDOWS NT" to retrieve the list of client servers. The services on
each client server is known by the site configuration manager,
since it is the site configuration manager that is responsible for
installing the services. Both the list of client servers as well as
the list of services on each client is stored in the NT registry at
key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.backslash.Software.backslash.Microsoft.backslash.SMS.
After determining which client servers have services that need
updating, the site configuration manager stops the services on
these client servers and deinstalls the services (step 504). The
processing of this step is similar to that as described relative to
step 406 of FIG. 4 with reference to the stopping of a service and
the deinstallation of a service. After stopping and deinstalling
the service, the site configuration manager copies the files
representing the updated software to the client servers (step 506).
In this step, the files are copied from the directory structure of
the site server to the directory structure of the client servers.
Since the directory structures were already in existence on the
client servers, no modification or changes to the directory
structures need to occur. After copying the files, the site
configuration manager installs the services (step 508). The
installation of the services is performed similar to that as
described relative to step 414 of FIG. 4. After installing the
services, the site configuration manager starts the services on the
client servers (step 510). The processing performed for this step
is similar to that as described relative to step 416 of FIG. 4.
[0045] FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of the steps performed by the
preferred embodiment of the present invention for monitoring client
servers. In the preferred embodiment, the steps below are performed
by the site configuration manager. In monitoring the client
servers, the site configuration manager determines whether a
service has terminated execution on the client servers and, if so,
the site configuration manager restarts the service. In addition,
the Site configuration manager determines if a new client server
has been added to the site and, upon determining that a new client
server has been added to the site, the site configuration manager
automatically installs the appropriate services onto the new client
server according to the preferences of the administrator. The first
step performed by the site configuration manager in monitoring the
client servers is to enumerate all servers for one or more domains
that the site server is managing (step 602). In this step, the site
configuration manager invokes the "NetServerEnum" call of
"MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT." After enumerating the client servers, the
site configuration manager determines if a new client server has
been added to the site (step 604). In this step, the site
configuration manager compares the list of client servers retrieved
in step 602 against the list of client servers stored in the NT
registry at key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.backslash.Software.backslash.Microsoft.backslash.SMS,
which contains a list of client servers that was current as of the
last time that step 602 was invoked. If it is determined that a new
client server has not been added to the site, the site
configuration manager queries each service on each client server to
determine if it is running (step 606). In this step, the site
configuration manager determines if a service is running on a
client server that utilizes "MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT" by utilizing the
service control manager with the following calls: OpenSCManager,
OpenService, QueryServiceStatus to return the current status of the
service, and CloseServiceHandle. The site configuration manager
determines if a service is running on a client server that utilizes
either the "LAN MANAGER" or the "LAN SERVER" network operating
system by invoking the NetServiceGetInfo call. After querying each
service, if a service is found to not be running, the site
configuration manager starts the service (step 608). The site
configuration manager starts the service as previously described
relative to step 416 of FIG. 4. Processing then continues to step
624.
[0046] If a new client server is detected, the site configuration
manager determines the natural language, the operating system type,
and the processor type of the new client server (step 610). The
processing of this step is similar to that as described relative to
step 408 of FIG. 4. After making this determination, the site
configuration manager adds the new client server to the list of
client servers in the NT registry (step 612). As previously
described, a list of client servers is stored in the NT registry
and in this step, the site configuration manager adds the new
client server to the list of client servers in the NT registry.
After adding the new client server to the NT registry, the site
configuration manager determines the administrator's preferences
for services to be installed on the client server (step 614). The
preferences of the administrator are stored in the system map file.
After determining the administrator's preferences, the site
configuration manager adds the preferred services of the
administrator to the registry for the new client server (step 616).
As previously described, the NT registry contains a list of
services for each client server. In this step, the site
configuration manager adds the preferred services of the
administrator to a list of services for the new client server that
is stored in the NT registry. After adding the services to the NT
registry, the site configuration manager determines if there are
editions of services available for the natural language, the type
of operating system and the type of processor of the new client
server (step 618). In this step, the site configuration manager
accesses the system map file, which has an indication of all the
editions of software on the site server. If there is an edition of
the services available, the site configuration manager creates a
directory structure on the client server, copies the files to the
client server, installs the services and starts the services (step
622). The processing of this step is similar to that as described
relative to steps 412-416 of FIG. 4. If there are no editions of
the services that match the natural language, operating system type
and processor type of the new client server, the site configuration
manager logs an event in the event log (step 620). The processing
of this step is similar to that described relative to step 418 of
FIG. 4. Next, the site configuration manager waits for a
predetermined amount of time (step 624) and continues processing to
step 602. The predetermined amount of time is configurable by the
administrator to various settings. The settings utilized by the
preferred embodiment include 24 minutes, 2 hours, 6 hours, and 12
hours. Therefore, the administrator has the ability to set the
predetermined amount of time so as to least interrupt the
processing of the centralized management system, or when
significant problems are occurring, the administrator can set the
predetermined period of time so that monitoring of the client
servers occurs more frequently.
[0047] The present invention may be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from its spirit or essential
characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in
all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of
the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims
rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come
within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be
embraced within their scope.
* * * * *